Darkness Approaches
by Gema J. Gall
Summary: Yu-Gi-Oh! Digimon Crossover. Sequel to Powers of Darkness. Darkness is coming and Ken and kaiba are its targets. The stakes are raised in the sequel with new enemies and traitors.
1. Headaches

Digimon/Yu-Gi-Oh! Crossover  
  
Darkness Approaches  
  
By: Gema J. Gall  
  
Disclaimer: Digimon ain't mine, neither is Yu-Gi-Oh!. If I did own them..... well, read on and find out what I'd do with them.  
  
AN/ This is the sequel to Powers of Darkness. Everyone loved the first one, and recommended that I at least write another Digimon/Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover, even if it wasn't a sequel. Well, I was pressed for ideas for a while, then this hit me. On with the fic!  
  
Kaiba was typing away at his computer, trying to make his duel disks more practical for common use. Mokuba was on the floor, enjoying an anime TV show with Kuribomon, his digimon.  
  
"I don't get it," complained Kuribomon. "That plot didn't make any sense."  
  
"That's because it was a commercial," explained Mokuba.  
  
"Oh," said Kuribomon.  
  
Kaiba groaned and rubbed his temples. He was getting a pounding headache. "I must be working too hard," he thought. He leaned back in the chair, trying to focus on something besides the pain in his skull.  
  
"Are you OK, Seto?" asked Mokuba when he saw his brother's flushed face.  
  
"I'm fine," replied Kaiba, shortly. He began to type again.  
  
"I like it when they do that," commented Kuribomon.  
  
"Do what?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"When they twirl their arms together and shot beams of light," said Kuribomon. "I want to do that." Mokuba smiled.  
  
"Almost every time I think I find the right algorithm, then I lose it," thought Seto. "I wish I could concentrate. Blast this headache!" He rubbed his forehead again, half in frustration.  
  
"Are you sure you are OK?" asked Mokuba, turning to his brother again.  
  
"I'm fine, Mokuba," snapped Kaiba, harshly. "Must you question everything?" Mokuba looked shocked and hurt by his brother's tone. Seto never spoke to him like this before. "I'm sorry, Mokuba. It's just a headache. I am going to call it a day." He got up to leave. "Don't forget to turn off the TV when you are done. And make sure your pet doesn't shed on the carpet."  
  
"I'm not a pet! I'm a digimon!" protested Kuribomon, but Kaiba was gone.  
  
He walked into the bathroom and popped two Tylenol. Then he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked haggard and tired. He didn't want anyone to know, but he had been having headaches for the past week. Each day it got worse. But now, the pain was migrating to the back of his head, by the nape of his neck. The memories of the time he was Abhorremon's prisoner were surfacing.  
  
"What is happening to me?" he asked, but the mirror did not reply. He rubbed the back of his neck, right where Abhorremon had put his claws. Kaiba shuddered.  
  
"You have been chosen...." a voice whispered in his ear.  
  
"What?!" exclaimed Kaiba, whirling around for a threat. He had learned caution the hard way. "Who's there?!" But he got no answer.  
  
He shook his head, thinking this was brought on by his headache, which had just became twice as bad. He shook his head again, trying to fight it. But then a worse wave of pain washed over him. It was so much that he blacked out.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"How much longer are you going to work?" Wormmon asked Ken.  
  
"I am almost done with my homework," answered Ken. "Man, this teacher really likes to give essays. I think Kaiba did a better job subbing us. At least he did assign any major papers."  
  
"Davis doesn't think so," said Wormmon.  
  
"That's because the detentions Kaiba gave him sent him over the school record," replied Ken. He groaned. "This is really draining me. I am so tired."  
  
"But I thought you were going to teach me how to play Phase Ten," said Wormmon.  
  
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" asked Ken. "I'm sorry, but I am feeling really under the weather."  
  
"But isn't the weather always above us?" asked Wormmon. "I mean, it is in the sky and all." Ken smiled. "That isn't what's bothering you."  
  
"It's a headache," said Ken.  
  
"I thought you said one was bothering you yesterday," said Wormmon.  
  
"I did, and it got worse today," said Ken.  
  
"Are you getting sick?" asked Wormmon, concerned.  
  
"I don't think so...." muttered Ken. He didn't feel sick, it was just this pain by his temples. "I don't know...... something isn't right."  
  
FLASH! Ken had a memory flick.  
  
"I want your dark energy!" said Abhorremon as he grasped Ken's neck.  
  
"Ken! Ken!" cried Wormmon.  
  
"Huh?" asked Ken.  
  
"You suddenly got this dreamy look in your eyes..... I was worried. Are you OK?" asked Wormmon.  
  
"I don't feel well, I think I am calling it a night," said Ken as he rose from his computer and walked to his bed.  
  
He flopped down and was asleep before his head hit his pillow. Wormmon walked over, still talking.  
  
"You really should be careful, I mean..... Ken?" asked Wormmon. "Asleep already! He must be sick. I wonder if I should tell his parents?" He didn't, though. He pulled the covers up to Ken's neck and then curled up besides him, going to sleep as well.  
  
"Good night, Ken," said Wormmon as he drifted off.  
  
It was late at night when Wormmon woke up. He wasn't in view of the clock, but he could tell it was very late by how dark it was outside. But that wasn't the first thing he noticed, nor was it the reason why he woke up.  
  
Ken was laughing in his sleep. But it wasn't a good natured laugh, or even a giggle. It was a full blown, evil, maniacal laugh. It was in a tone that Wormmon had hoped he would never have to hear again.  
  
"Ken! Ken! Wake up!" called Wormmon, but the sleeping boy did not reply. Eventually the laughing stopped, but Wormmon's concerns did not. 


	2. The Digital World

"Goon morning, big brother!" greeted Mokuba as he bounced on his brother's bed.  
  
"Good morning, brother," echoed Kuribomon who was bouncing on the other side of Kaiba.  
  
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" asked Kaiba with a sleepy groan. He rolled over, pushing Kuribomon off of the bed.  
  
"Get up! Get up!" insisted Mokuba. "You've slept most of the morning."  
  
Kaiba looked at his clock. It was 11:37. "It can't be that late....."  
  
"Come on! Remember today? You promised you'd let me go!" said Mokuba as he began to pull Seto to his feet.  
  
Kaiba rubbed his neck to get a crick out of it and memories of the previous night came back to him. He remembered passing out in his bathroom. But he had no idea how he ended up on his own bed. Warning bells were going off in his head, but he ignored them.  
  
"Um, Mokuba?" asked Kaiba.  
  
"What?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Nothing...." replied Kaiba as he walked out. Mokuba was jabbering so happily he hardly seemed to notice Kaiba's apprehension.  
  
"I can't wait!" beamed Mokuba. "Today is the day! Yolie and Kari and Davis said so. They said we'd go to the digital world and try to find my crest. Then, Kuribomon will be able to be as strong as Angewomon."  
  
"I can't wait!" interrupted Kuribomon, who was bouncing besides Mokuba.  
  
"I want you to be extra careful," said Kaiba, giving the parental lecture. "I can't say I am comfortable with you going to another world."  
  
"But its inside computers!" protested Mokuba. "I thought you'd like that!"  
  
"Its not that, I just don't know responsible those kids will be," said Kaiba. "It could be dangerous and I don't want to lose you. You are all I have left."  
  
"I can take care of myself," said Mokuba.  
  
"And I'll protect him!" chimed Kuribomon.  
  
"Somehow, that isn't very reassuring," muttered Kaiba.  
  
"Don't worry. It is like Yu-Gi always says, as long as I stick with the others I'll be fine," insisted Mokuba. Kaiba paused, trying to think of something. But the thought left him.  
  
"Just don't get hurt," said Kaiba.  
  
"I won't!" yelled Mokuba as he raced out of their mansion with Kuribomon on his heels.  
  
"By brother!" yelled Kuribomon.  
  
"Why of all creatures did it have to be a Kuriboh?" asked Kaiba as he walked inside.  
  
A piece of paper was laying on floor of the entrance way of his mansion. Kaiba assumed it had been in the door and had fluttered down when Mokuba had raced out. Kaiba picked it up and realized it was an envelope. He flipped it over a few times. There was no writing on it save his own name, no address, no date, no stamp, no nothing. He looked at it puzzled, then walked to a chair and sat down before opening it.  
  
Kaiba slit it open with a fancy letter opener. A smaller piece of paper fell out. Kaiba looked in the envelope again, but it was empty. He picked the item off of the floor. It was the Duel Monster's card Darkness Approaches. Kaiba looked at it baffled. It was a common magic card, and not that good for that matter. It didn't make much sense.  
  
"This has to be some kind of joke," Kaiba concluded. He left the card and the envelope on the table and walked into the kitchen to make himself breakfast.  
  
He had only gotten as far as the door when he felt his headache return. He veered away from the kitchen and headed to the bathroom, for another Tylenol.  
  
"What is going on?" he asked His reflection. But his reflection only showed his haggard self. He popped the Tylenol. But almost instantly his neck began to feel like it was on fire. As if on impulse Kaiba turned around and lowered his collar, so he could twist his head around and see the back of his neck in the reflection.  
  
He gasped at what he saw. A small dark design, almost like a tattoo had formed at the nape of his neck. It was a very intricate pattern, one of which he couldn't discern. But what began to worry him was that he had no idea how that mark had gotten there.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Hey! Mokuba! You made it!" called Davis.  
  
"I wouldn't miss it!" Mokuba replied as he ran over. "I can't wait!"  
  
"Calm down," said Kari with a little giggle.  
  
"Where's Cody?" asked Mokuba when he noticed who was absent. "And Ken?"  
  
"Cody has to help his grandpa today," answered TK.  
  
"I think Ken is just running late," added Kari.  
  
"But he is never late!" insisted Yolie.  
  
"He'll be here soon. I am sure of it," replied Mokuba. But he fidgeted nervously as he anticipated their trip to the digital world.  
  
"I think I see something coming!" exclaimed Kuribomon.  
  
"Quiet," hushed Mokuba. "You are supposed to be a stuffed animal."  
  
"Sorry," apologized Kuribomon.  
  
Ken raced over. He was red faced and breathing hard from running so long and hard. "I am sorry I'm late," he apologized immediately. "I overslept."  
  
"I'm just glad you're here," said Yolie as her face lit up.  
  
"Let's go already," said Davis.  
  
"OK," agreed TK. "I left one of the window to the computer lab at the school open yesterday. We should be able to get in there."  
  
"I can't believe we are breaking into school on a Saturday!" whined Davis.  
  
"A moment ago you couldn't wait to get to the digital world," Kari pointed out.  
  
"Right," agreed Davis. "Come on!" He took off running, carrying DemiVeemon in his arms.  
  
"Davis, wait!" yelled Yolie as she started to run.  
  
"We'd better hurry up after them," said Kari as she joined the chase. The remaining boys shrugged and took off after them.  
  
Later......  
  
"Is everyone here?" asked TK as he looked around the assembled group in the computer lab.  
  
"Quit stalling or I'll open the digi-port," threatened Davis.  
  
TK smiled. "Digi-port open." He held his D3 to the computer and the entire group was sucked into the digital world.  
  
They emerged there wearing different clothing curtsey of the digital world. The digimon began to race around after have to stay still for so long. Mokuba was wide-eyed in wonder.  
  
"This is so cool!" he exclaimed. He touched a nearby rock as if assuring himself that this was real.  
  
"Where are we taking him first?" asked Davis.  
  
"I think Primary Village would be a great place to start," suggested Kari.  
  
"Great idea!" Davis instantly agreed.  
  
"Shouldn't we try to find his crest?" asked TK.  
  
"Crests are hard to find," replied Kari. "And they tend to show up when you need them."  
  
"Kari's right," agreed Davis. "To Primary Village!" The group started walking.  
  
"Um, Yolie, can I talk to you for a moment?" asked Wormmon.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, turning her attention towards him. The rest of the group kept walking, only Hawkmon stopped.  
  
"Um, well, um, have you noticed anything weird about Ken lately?" asked Wormmon.  
  
"Not really, why?" asked Yolie.  
  
"Well, he has been complaining about headaches for a long time now," said Wormmon. "And last night he started laughing in his sleep."  
  
"I don't see a problem," said Hawkmon.  
  
"But it was an evil laugh," said Wormmon.  
  
"He was probably just dreaming," said Yolie.  
  
"But.... but..... I don't know," muttered Wormmon, not knowing how to express the apprehension he felt.  
  
"We'll all keep an eye on Ken," said Yolie. "That way if he is getting stressed-out or something we'll be ready to help him."  
  
"Sounds good," agreed Hawkmon.  
  
"OK," agreed Wormmon.  
  
"Hey guys, what are you doing?" asked Gatomon as she raced over. "Everyone's looking for you."  
  
"Sorry, we're coming," said Yolie as she started to catch up, the three digimon joining her.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Darkness is coming. It is growing. Time is running out and soon..... soon we will see.  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	3. From Not Good to Bad

Kaiba was sitting at his desk, absentmindedly tapping a pen on its surface. He couldn't focus on his work. Half of his attention was focused on Mokuba. Another half was on the weird mark on his neck. He had tried all of the cleaning solutions in the mansion and nothing had been able to get it off. His neck was sore from rubbing it so long. He was also distracted by the headache that was coming back with renewed vigor.  
  
"What is going on?" he asked himself. He had had too much happen to him to dismiss this as nonsense. But there was no one he trusted enough to talk through it.  
  
He sighed, giving up on rewriting the algorithms for today. Instead he pulled out a piece of paper, to write down everything he noticed was wrong. Then maybe he'd be able to find a logical conclusion to all of this.  
  
"Number one, constant headaches," said Kaiba out-loud. "Actually, pain in the neck would be more appropriate. Number two, memories of Abhorremon." He once again started to tap his pen on the desk, wondering how important that detail was. "Number three, a strange mark on the back of my neck. Number four, finding Darkness Approaches in the mail." Did that even count?  
  
"OK, then what have I been doing lately?" he asked himself. "Reprogramming the duel disks. Also, Mokuba has been spending more time with those digimon." He paused for a moment, thinking.  
  
"It has to be stress. I need a vacation," he concluded.  
  
He stood up and walked out of the room. Vague ideas about formulating new strategies with his deck were coming to his mind. But he was too restless. He found himself pacing in the halls.  
  
"You have been chosen...." a voice echoed around him.  
  
"Who's there!?" he demanded, looking around. He got no answer. "Does this count as number five?"  
  
"What is going on?" he asked himself. He felt like he was trying to remember a dream he had forgotten a long time ago. He felt like he should know the answer, but it escaped him. He felt his hand rubbing his neck. He forced it down.  
  
"There is only one person I could ever tell this to, he'd be the only one who'd understand," muttered Kaiba as he pulled a picture out of the back of his wallet. "But he isn't here." He shoved the picture and the wallet deep inside his pocket.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Wow! This is so cool!" exclaimed Mokuba. "These baby digimon are awesome!"  
  
"I know," cooed Kari as a Pabumon crawled over her.  
  
"And you said someone actually tried to destroy this place?" asked Mokuba. "I can't imagine why."  
  
"Well, destroying the entire digital world, you have to start somewhere," said Davis.  
  
"Davis!" exclaimed Yolie.  
  
"Well, its true," he said.  
  
"Who's tried to destroy the digital world?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Well, first there was Devimon," answered TK. "Then it was Myotismon."  
  
"Then the Dark Masters," added Kari.  
  
"Myotismon ended up coming back as MaloMyotismon," added Cody.  
  
"And there was BlackWarGreyMon," said Yolie.  
  
"But he was just misunderstood," interrupted Kari.  
  
"And Oikawa and Arukenimon and Mummymon and the Digimon Emperor," said Davis.  
  
"Davis!" hissed Kari.  
  
"What?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Nothing!" exclaimed Yolie.  
  
"You guys are hiding something from me!" accused Mokuba. "What is it?"  
  
"Well, Ken had some problems before and...." started TK.  
  
"Where is Ken?" asked Yolie, looking around.  
  
"He went off with Wormmon to track down a missing digimon for Elecmon," answered Kari.  
  
"Come on, Hawkmon," said Yolie. "Let's find him!"  
  
"OK, coming!" said Hawkmon as they took off.  
  
"What about Ken?" asked Kuribomon.  
  
"He used to be the Digimon Emperor," answered Davis.  
  
"And he did a whole lot of bad stuff, like making control spires and dark rings," added Veemon.  
  
"Why did he?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"It was a combination of the influence of the Dark Ocean and the Dark Spore that Oikawa put in him," said TK.  
  
"But Oikawa was under the influence of MaloMyotismon," interrupted Cody.  
  
"I don't get it," said Mokuba.  
  
"Neither do I," said Kuribmon.  
  
"Let us explain," said Armadillomon.  
  
While they were explaining Yolie and Hawkmon found Ken and Wormmon. The two were staring up a tree where the fresh digimon was hiding.  
  
"You can come down, we aren't going to hurt you," coaxed Wormmon.  
  
"It is dangerous up there," added Ken. The digimon only whimpered.  
  
"Don't make me come up there and get you!" said Wormmon.  
  
"But it's so high," whined the digimon.  
  
"I'll catch you," said Ken.  
  
"Promise?" asked the digimon, who was still very nervous.  
  
Ken nodded.  
  
"I can't do it!" whined the digimon as it backed farther into the branches.  
  
"But you got up there in the first place," said Wormmon. "Come on down."  
  
"But what if I fall?" it whined.  
  
"Ken will catch you," said Wormmon.  
  
"OK, here I go," said the digimon as it prepared to jump.  
  
"There they are," said Hawkmon as she ran over with Yolie.  
  
Ken had his arms out to catch the tiny digimon. "You have been chosen....." said a voice on the wind.  
  
The digimon was about to jump when the boy got a weird look in his eyes. He looked like he was about to drift off into sleep. His arms began to drop. By then it was too late to stop the digimon from jumping.  
  
"Ken!" yelled Wormmon as Ken started to sway.  
  
"AHHH!" screamed the digimon as it jumped.  
  
"Gotcha!" cried Hawkmon as she snagged the digimon before it hit the ground.  
  
"Ken!" cried Yolie as she caught him as he fainted. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know. Is he OK?" asked Wormmon as he crowded over. Hawkmon was trying to console the scared fresh digimon.  
  
Ken seemed pretty much out of it. But then a quiet noise escaped from his throat. It was hard to make out at first, but it got louder and louder. Ken was laughing, and it was the same laugh Wormmon had heard the other night.  
  
"KEN!" yelled Yolie and Wormmon together. The boy genius went quiet.  
  
"You were right, something is very wrong," said Yolie. Just then Ken's eyes opened and he stood up.  
  
"What happened?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"You fainted, then you started laughing and...." said Wormmon.  
  
"What?" asked Ken. "All I remember was someone talking to me."  
  
"You almost let the little digimon fall," said Hawkmon. Ken didn't seem to hear her.  
  
"Ken, you have some kind of black mark on the back of your neck," said Yolie as he turned his back to her and started to walk away.  
  
"Probably just mud," he muttered as he swiped at it absentmindedly.  
  
"Ken, are you OK?" asked Wormmon.  
  
"I'll be fine," replied Ken, but Yolie and Wormmon were not convinced.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"The darkness is growing stronger! I can almost taste it!"  
  
"Patience. The time is not yet right."  
  
"But the strength that we could get from the darkness....."  
  
"We are after far more than that."  
  
"Haste led the traitor Abhorremon to his doom. The children are not to be underestimated."  
  
"Only when it is time to harvest can we strike. Then it will be too late for them to stop us and our plans will at last come true!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	4. Voices

Kaiba was pacing. Not only was his headache getting worse, but now he was having black outs. He'd remember feeling dizzy and starting to faint. But when he'd wake up he'd be in a different part of the mansion than he last remembered.  
  
Two other things were bothering him. One was the mark on the back of his neck. It had continued to grow, somehow. It was down his back and on his shoulders, and it was also climbing further up his neck. Kaiba kept his collar up to hide that fact. The other thing that was bothering him was the anonymous mail he kept getting. It was the same all the time. He's find an envelope in the door with his name on it. Inside would be the magic card Darkness Approaches. All week it had happened each day. He now had eight cards. Kaiba was pacing by the front window, planning on catching the person today red-handed. Then he'd demand answers.  
  
He could feel his headache getting worse with each step. He was half- tempted to scream. It's not like anyone would hear him, Mokuba was away with the digi-destined again. But screaming had never been his idea to handling a problem.  
  
Kaiba looked out the window again. No one was in sight. How could this person be sending him the letters? How is it possible for him or her to sneak past his security system each day, without being seen by either of the Kaiba brothers? Frustration was mounting for Seto.  
  
He turned and faced a full length mirror that was in the entrance hall. He looked himself over. He didn't look sick, only haggard and tired. He pulled his collar down, checking the strange mark again. It was growing, almost like a plant. No more like an infection. The pattern was intricate and almost beautiful, had it not been on him! It seemed almost Egyptian.  
  
He shook his head. Whatever was happening could not be good. But what could he do about it? He was on his own. There was no one who could help him, that had been a fact for years. Ever since his parents died, he had been alone. Sure, he had raised Mokuba, but there were no friends, no one he could trust. It hurt too much to trust again.  
  
Speaking of hurting, that's all his head was doing. It was getting worse. Kaiba was finding it hard to fight. The pain was enough to make him black out. But he had to fight it. He had to find who was sending him the letters to find his answers.  
  
"Quit fighting your destiny...... You have been chosen....." a voice said to him.  
  
"Who said that?!" demanded Kaiba. "Who's there?!"  
  
"You have been chosen, the power of darkness," came the reply.  
  
"What do you mean?! What is the meaning of this?" demanded Kaiba.  
  
"You love darkness, you love power, that is why you were chosen. Your destiny is at hand. It is time to break the seal. It is time to achieve power."  
  
"What are you talking about? Leave me alone!" yelled Kaiba. A thought struck him. "I'm going insane. That has to be it. Insane people talk to themselves. But do insane people no they are insane?"  
  
The voice laughed. "Quit fighting your destiny. You want power, take it! Your darkest dreams are about to come true."  
  
"AAAGGGHHHHH!" screamed Kaiba as his headache surged with renewed force. This was too much for him. He collapsed from the pain.  
  
Later.......  
  
Kaiba woke up, feeling like he had been run over by a semi. He looked around. He was in his home office, sitting behind his desk. It was a floor and a wing away from the hall where he fainted.  
  
"What is going on!?" he demanded as he pounded the desk with his fist.  
  
Then he looked down at his arm. His jacket had been taken off and draped over the chair and his shirt sleeves were rolled back, almost like he had been working. But that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that the strange patterns had now grown to the point that they were extending to his arms. His upper biceps were covered with the weird pattern. Kaiba hastily rolled down his sleeves, hiding the fact.  
  
Kaiba then jerked up. He remembered his plan to catch the person who had been sending him the card. He jumped out of his chair and raced to his front door, hoping he still had a chance to catch the person.  
  
But he was too late. An envelope stuck in the crack of the door. Kaiba sighed and took it. He was not at all surprised when he pulled out Darkness Approaches. He shook his head and sighed, feeling completely defeated. The problem was getting worse and worse and he was no closer to solving it than he had been at the beginning.  
  
"Seto! We're home!" chimed Mokuba's voice as he entered the room with Kuribomon.  
  
"We made it, brother!" chimed Kuribomon. "But we didn't find Mokuba's crest yet. I hope we do soon. I can't wait to digivolve. And then Mokuba and I can fight the baddies and....."  
  
"Will you please be quiet?" snapped Kaiba. The last thing he needed was the digimon's incessant jabbering, making his headache worse.  
  
"We had a lot of fun, though, Seto," said Mokuba. "Kari showed me one of the Destiny Stones. Then Davis showed me where he met Veemon. And Cody and Yolie told me about four digimon who guard the digital world. It is so pretty there, I wish you could come."  
  
"I have enough to worry about without visiting worlds inside of computers," said Seto, coldly. "As long as you keep coming home at the end of the day, I'll be happy."  
  
"That is so sweet," cooed Kuribomon. Kaiba groaned. His head was hurting. All he wanted was a moment's relief!  
  
"Thanks!" chimed Mokuba. "I'm just glad you let me go. But tomorrow we are heading over to Davis' house. I'm not sure why, but I think Wormmon and Yolie are planning something."  
  
Kaiba shook his head. "Just be careful." He walked off.  
  
"Is he being grumpy?" asked Kuribomon.  
  
"No, he just seems tired," answered Mokuba. But the boy paused, thinking about it. His brother had been acting strange lately.  
  
Kaiba went back to his office. He opened a draw and put the newest card with the others. He was about to sit down when the door opened and Kuribomon and Mokuba walked in.  
  
"What is it?" Kaiba asked, shortly.  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were doing," said Mokuba. "I haven't seen you much in the past few days. Are you OK?"  
  
"I'm fine, Mokuba, why would you ask?"  
  
"I don't know, you seem tired and worn out a lot. You know you can tell me anything."  
  
Kaiba smiled for the first time in a week. "If only you knew, Mokuba. But this kind of thing I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone."  
  
"Well, if you say you're OK, I'll believe you," said Mokuba. He walked out the door. "But you will tell me if you don't feel well, OK?"  
  
"OK, Mokuba," agreed Kaiba. Mokuba walked out.  
  
Kaiba turned back to his desk and started sorting papers. He was too restless to sit just yet. Something was pressing in on him. He felt like he was running out of time.  
  
"Ugh...." he groaned, tired of the pain and stress. He pulled his sleeves up again and began to work with renewed vigor. He secretly hoped that work would take his mind off of the pain.  
  
"What's that?" asked Kuribomon. The digimon hopped onto the desk and stared at the marks on Kaiba's arms.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" demanded Kaiba.  
  
"You may have Mokuba convinced, but I'm not," answered the digimon. "I don't think everything is fine with you."  
  
"Get out!" demanded Kaiba, angrily.  
  
"What is.....?" Kuribomon started to ask. But he never got to finish that question. In one swift motion Kaiba kicked him. The rookie digimon was sent flying through the air and crashed into the wall. He slid down to the floor, the looked up at Kaiba with big puppy-dog eyes.  
  
"GET OUT!" yelled Kaiba. The digimon ran out of the door as fast as he could.  
  
"Ugh..... what is going on?" Kaiba asked himself as he began to rub the back of his neck. What just happened?  
  
"What is going on?" the voice echoed. "You are about to find out!"  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Are you sure you're feeling better?" asked Yolie to Ken.  
  
"Much better," insisted Ken. Yolie was in his apartment with him, keeping an eye on him. Yolie and Wormmon had both been terribly concerned with Ken over the past week. But Ken was trying to convince them he felt much better.  
  
"Well, you have been looking better," agreed Wormmon.  
  
"No more headaches?" asked Hawkmon.  
  
"No, not really," said Ken, truthfully.  
  
"You will call if anything else happens, right?" asked Yolie.  
  
"Yes, I promise," said Ken. "You'd better be getting home. Your parents are going to worry."  
  
"I know, but I worry about you. I just want to make sure you're OK," said Yolie.  
  
"I'm fine," he repeated. "If anything else happens, Wormmon will be with me. And my parents are only in the next room."  
  
"OK, I'll se you tomorrow," said Yolie as Ken escorted her to the door.  
  
"Yes, take care," said Hawkmon.  
  
"Bye Ken," said Yolie as she gave him a peck on the cheek and left. Ken smiled, faintly touching the place where her lips were.  
  
"Ken, you have no idea how glad we are that you are feeling better," said Wormmon.  
  
"I'm glad too," agreed Ken. But then he felt a twinge in the back of his neck. He raised his hand and started rubbing it. That seemed to be the signal. His headache came back almost instantly.  
  
"This is so great. You really had us worried," continued Wormmon. Ken was about to tell him, but he couldn't seem to break it to his digimon. After all, it was only a headache.  
  
"I'm heading to the bathroom," said Ken.  
  
"OK, I'll be waiting for you. You should get a good night's sleep. You haven't slept well all week," said Wormmon as he crawled off.  
  
Ken walked into the bathroom and took to aspirin. He looked up and saw himself in the mirror. He noticed something unusual on the side of his neck. He tried to rub it off, but it stayed. Ken then angled himself so he could get a better view.  
  
He gasped at what he saw. Some weird design circled from the back of his neck down his shoulders and under his clothing. It almost seemed like it had been purposely put there, judging from the pattern. It looked like a henna tattoo, almost. Although the pattern reminded him of the circuits inside of a computer.  
  
"What is this?" he asked, leaning closer to the computer.  
  
"You have been chosen in his place," a voice answered him.  
  
"Who's there?!" demanded Ken, looking around.  
  
"You love darkness, you love power. You have been chosen. It is your destiny," the voice answered. Ken could feel goosebumps rising on his skin.  
  
"Worm...." Ken started to call Wormmon, but it died on his lips.  
  
"Do not fight your destiny. It is time to take your brother's place. You want power, take it! It is time!"  
  
"Sam?!" gasped Ken, shocked to hear his dead brother was somehow involved. "What does this have to do with Sam?"  
  
"It is time to achieve power...." said the voice.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Ken, but he got no reply.  
  
Ken hurried out of the bathroom to his room, where Wormmon was waiting.  
  
"Hi, Ken, you look a little pale," said Wormmon.  
  
Ken opened his mouth. He wanted to tell Wormmon everything. But something was stopping him from doing that. "I'm fine," he lied. "It must be the light."  
  
"Well, get some sleep," said Wormmon. Ken nodded and sat down on his bed.  
  
"Wormmon....." started Ken as he tried to tell Wormmon what had just happened, but again the words would not form.  
  
"What?" asked Wormmon.  
  
"Nothing...." he lied. "I am just glad those headaches are gone."  
  
"Me too. Good night," said Wormmon as he curled up.  
  
"Good night," said Ken as he turned out the light. But he knew sleep would be a long time in coming for him. 


	5. From Bad to Worse

"Find out? Find out what?" demanded Kaiba. But the voice died, telling him no more. That did very little to comfort the boy millionaire. He could feel time running out. It was pushing in around him, trying to suffocate him.  
  
Kaiba jumped from his desk, trying to call his beating heart down. He was afraid he was having an anxiety attack for a moment. He again found his hand massaging the back of his neck. It took all of his will but he forced it down. He felt so trapped. There was no where to go, no one to turn to.  
  
Trying to keep his hands from going to his neck, he began to fiddle around with stuff on his desk. He happened to pull out the drawer where he put all the Darkness Approaches card. He looked at them. It was a fairly weak, common magic card. Then why did it bother him so much?  
  
Kaiba gazed at the picture for a long time. A sole figure stood with its back to the card holder. It looked up at the sky, which was nothing but a mass of dark, violent clouds. The clouds swirled together, covering the rest of the picture. They seemed to press in on the figure, smothering it.  
  
Seto began to feel dizzy again. His knees began to buckle. He tried to fight it, but he was quickly losing consciousness. He glanced down at the card as darkness took his vision. His jumbled mind produced the weirdest thought at that moment. He imagined that the figure in that card was none other than...... himself.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Mokuba! You have to come!" exclaimed Kuribomon as he raced into Mokuba's bedroom.  
  
"What is it?" asked Mokuba, who was about to climb into his bed.  
  
"I think something is really wrong with your brother," replied Kuribomon. "He tries to ignore, but something doesn't smell right! You have to come!"  
  
"What is wrong with Seto?" asked Mokuba as they bounded out of the room.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think it is bad," said Kuribomon. They raced through the mansion, making it to Kaiba's office in record time.  
  
"Seto, it's me, Mokuba!" called Mokuba as he shoved open the door and raced into the office, barely stopping before hitting the solid oak desk.  
  
"Seto?" asked Mokuba. The room was completely empty.  
  
"Where is he?" asked Kuribomon, who had circled over and was sitting in Kaiba's chair.  
  
"Seto!" yelled Mokuba, but no answer came.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Ken laid on his bed, waiting for sleep to find him. But his mind was in too much of a turmoil to let him rest. His head was pounding in time with his pulse. But most of his thoughts were focused on his brother. Why did he hear Sam's name mentioned? What did it all mean?  
  
Ken shifted carefully, so not to wake Wormmon. He felt a heavy weight closing in around him. He felt like time was against him, that it was slowly trying to suffocate him. It seemed like every shadow in his room had long fingers that were trying to reach him, trying to trap him. But he was already trapped, somehow he had that awful feeling. There was no relief, no escape. He felt like the pressure would throttle him.  
  
Ken sighed and stood up, to restless to sleep. He silently left his room, not sure what he planned to do. He paced in the hallway for a few minutes, but that did not help. Often times he had to force his hand down from rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
He continued to pace, although reality seemed to become a dream. The apartment that he knew seemed to disappear in the shadows. The shadows reared up, wrapping themselves around him.  
  
Ken shook his head. "It's all an illusion." He closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. But he found it was hard to open them. It seemed sleep finally found him. Ken began to drift off.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Ken?" asked Wormmon, groggily. He raised his head, only to find the room empty. "Ken!" Wormmon jumped out of the bed, alarmed.  
  
He crawled into the hall as quick as he could. He saw the boy genius entered the bathroom. Wormmon breathed a sigh of relief. Light came from the bottom crack in the door. That somehow seemed to comfort the digimon. But still, he decided to wait for Ken.  
  
A few moments later the light went out. Wormmon expected to see Ken exited a few moments later. But he did. Wormmon again began to feel concerned.  
  
"Ken?" he asked as he tapped on the door. There was no answer. "Ken!" Again he was replied with silence.  
  
Wormmon took a step back. "Sticky Net!" He shot out some strings which latched onto the doorknob. Then Wormmon pulled it open.  
  
He raced inside. It was dark, almost to dark. It took the digimon's eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did his worst fears were confirmed. Ken was gone.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Davis was awoken early the next morning by a frantic phone call from Yolie. He reached up and answered it, still half asleep.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Davis! Ken's gone! He disappeared. We don't know where he is at! It's awful, I'm so worried about him!" yelled Yolie who sounded half hysterical.  
  
"What?" asked Davis as he stretched and sat up. "Slow down."  
  
"Ken disappeared last night!" she yelled. "Wormmon saw him go into the bathroom and he never came out. We have searched everywhere for him."  
  
"In the bathroom?" asked Davis. "May be he got flushed down the toilet?"  
  
"THIS IS SERIOUS!" yelled Yolie. She was so loud she woke the still sleeping DemiVeemon.  
  
"What is it?" asked DemiVeemon with a yawn.  
  
"They can't find Ken anywhere," he answered.  
  
"I don't know what to do...." sobbed Yolie.  
  
"First, why don't you call down," suggested Davis. "Have you called anyone else yet?"  
  
"No?"  
  
"Then call Kari and tell her. I'll try to get a hold of Cody."  
  
"What about TK?"  
  
"Um....yeah.... We'll get to him."  
  
"OK, I will.... Hopefully they have seen him."  
  
"I hope you're right too, Good-bye." Davis hung up. He was about to hit speed dial for Kari's number when the phone rang in his hands.  
  
"Hello?" he asked.  
  
"Davis! It's Kari!" she said, with a hint of anxiety in her voice.  
  
"I was about to call you. What is it?" asked Davis.  
  
"Well, when I got home last night there was a message on my machine from Mokuba," she said.  
  
"Where were you last night?" he asked, suspiciously.  
  
"I was out with Tristan."  
  
"Tristan?!"  
  
"Anyways, Mokuba's older brother disappeared last night. Mokuba and Kuribomon searched the entire mansion. Kaiba is nowhere to be found."  
  
"Kaiba too?!"  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Kari.  
  
"Yolie just called. Ken disappeared last night as well."  
  
"Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no....." muttered Kari. "Not again....."  
  
"We need to get everyone together," decided Davis.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Kari. "Where will we meet?"  
  
"Hold on, I have another call," said Davis. He switched lines. "Hello?"  
  
"Davis! I'm finally able to get a hold of you!" exclaimed Mokuba.  
  
"Mokuba?"  
  
"Yeah. Seto's disappeared. I am so worried. He's been acting really strange and then he vanished! You have to come over to help me find him!" it was clear Mokuba was on the edge of hysteria.  
  
"Calm down Mokuba," said Davis. "This is too much early in the morning."  
  
"What are we going to do?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Listen, I'll try to get everyone together, OK? You said you wanted us to come over?"  
  
"Yeah, please hurry!" Mokuba hung up.  
  
"No what is going on?" demanded DemiVeemon. "Tell me!"  
  
"Seto Kaiba has disappeared as well," said Davis as he reconnected with Kari. "Hey Kari, that was Mokuba. We are heading over his house."  
  
"OK," she said with a sigh. "I'll get Yolie and TK. You try to contact Cody."  
  
"Fine by me. Yolie is probably trying to call you, so I am going to hang up. Bye."  
  
"Bye." She hung up as well.  
  
"Grrrrrrrrr! Tristan!" growled Davis.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
An hour later the digi-destined had assembled at the Kaiba mansion. Cody was the only one who hadn't arrived. Their faces all showed some form of anxiety or another.  
  
"They both disappeared again," said TK. "This is too weird."  
  
"How did this happen?" asked Patamon.  
  
"I don't know. I watched Ken go into the bathroom. The door was closed. But he never came out. He simple vanished," answered Wormmon.  
  
"That sounds like what happened to Seto," said Mokuba. "He was in his office the entire time."  
  
"Yolie and I have searched everywhere we could think of, and there was no sign of Ken," said Hawkmon.  
  
"He was acting weird lately, but I thought he had gotten better," sobbed Yolie. "It's all my fault!"  
  
"Acting weird?" asked Kuribomon.  
  
"He complained about headaches for a week. And then he'd space out..... It was.... weird, there's no other way to put it," answered Yolie.  
  
"Seto said he'd been having headaches too!" exclaimed Mokuba.  
  
"And he was acting really weird," agreed Kuribomon.  
  
"This is starting to sound like Abhorremon all over again," said TK. Yolie and Mokuba looked at him teary-eyed.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" asked Davis.  
  
"We need to find out where they went," said Gatomon.  
  
"We've already searched everywhere in Ken's apartment," said Yolie.  
  
"But Kuribomon and I never could have searched everywhere here," said Mokuba.  
  
"Let's start with where he disappeared," suggested Kari. "Have you told any of the others who were with us last time?"  
  
"Who, Yu-Gi, Tea, and the others?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"No, Seto hates it when they get involved," answered Mokuba.  
  
"Maybe we should keep that option open, though," said Davis.  
  
They began to walk to the office. The digi-destined were clearly impressed with the mansion.  
  
"Here," said Mokuba as he opened the door.  
  
"Wow this place is so big!" cooed DemiVeemon.  
  
"What are we looking for?" asked Davis.  
  
"Any clue about where they could have gone," answered Kari. They began to go through bookshelves and papers.  
  
"This is weird," commented DemiVeemon as he pulled a group of cards out of an open drawer in the desk.  
  
"Not really, brother has all sorts of cards like that," said Kuribomon.  
  
"Let me see," said Mokuba as he reached over and took them. "Darkness Approaches? He doesn't use this card."  
  
"Then why is it in his desk?" asked Wormmon.  
  
"I think I found something!" exclaimed Kari, who had been searching the trash can.  
  
"What is it?" demanded Yolie.  
  
"It's a list Kaiba wrote," she answered. "It looks like a list of symptoms."  
  
"Well, what does it say?" asked Hawkmon.  
  
"Number one, constant headaches," she read. "But that is crossed out. Over it is written pain in the back of the neck."  
  
"That sounds like Ken!" exclaimed Wormmon.  
  
"Number two," continued Kari, "Memories of Abhorremon." It was silent, save a few gasps. "Number three, a strange mark on the back of the neck. Number four, finding Darkness Approaches in the mail."  
  
"That explains these," sighed Mokuba.  
  
"I saw something on the back of Ken's neck, too," said Yolie. She was biting her nails. Worry creases were marking her forehead.  
  
"Number five is crossed out," said Kari. "It said hearing voices."  
  
"Your brother is insane," commented Davis.  
  
"Take that back!" demanded Mokuba.  
  
"Everyone needs to calm down," said TK. "This is not going to get us anywhere."  
  
"Brother left his jacket," said Kuribomon.  
  
"Let me see," said Davis. He began to go through the pockets. He very quickly found Kaiba's wallet.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Gatomon.  
  
"Looking for clues," he said with a sly smile. "He might have left a ticket stub of something in his wallet and......"  
  
"Gold digger," muttered TK.  
  
Davis stopped short, shocked. He had found something that he never expected to find. He stood, staring at it, simply not believing.  
  
"What is it?" asked DemiVeemon.  
  
"It looks like a picture," commented Patamon, who was on the other side of the room.  
  
"Yeah..... You guys have to see this," said Davis as he set in on the desk. Mokuba was the first over to examine it.  
  
"Who is it?" he asked. "I've never seen him before."  
  
"Here," said Yolie as she took the picture. "Oh, dear Lord!" The rest crowded around with equally shocked expressions and sounds.  
  
"I don't get it!" protested Mokuba. "Who is it?"  
  
"That is Ken's dead brother, Sam," answered Davis. 


	6. Past Pain

AN/ This chapter is the reason I wrote this. I hope you enjoy, because this is what makes it all worth while.  
  
They had gathered at the Ichijouji residence. They had unanimously decided that Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji would be the best to ask question to. It was also a good place to wait for Cody, who had still to arrive. "I just can't believe that Ken is gone again," sobbed Mrs. Ichijouji. "We're sorry to be the ones to have to tell you," said Yolie. "But.... well we have some questions that we hope you'll be able to answer." "It may be the only way for us to find them," added Kari. "What is it?" asked Mr. Ichijouji. "Anything to help." "We found this picture in my brother's wallet," said Mokuba as he placed Sam's picture down. "That's Sam, our oldest son," said Mrs. Ichijouji. "That picture as taken not long before he died....." She reached for another Kleenex. "Do you have any idea how Kaiba got it?" asked TK. "Kaiba?" asked Mr. Ichijouji. "Do you mean Seto Kaiba?" asked his wife. "Yeah, my brother!" chimed Mokuba. "The two of you are related? I never would have imagined....." muttered Mrs. Ichijouji. "I would have said something sooner....." "Do you know Kaiba?" asked TK. "Sam was his best friend when they were little," answered Mr. Ichijouji. "What?!" "They were inseparable," said Mrs. Ichijouji. "They always seemed to run off together, talking about computers or games or whatever interested them." "We could hardly keep them apart," added Mrs. Ichijouji. "Sam's death would have been hard enough on Seto, without everything else happening....." "What else happened?" asked Mokuba, who had been hanging on every word. "He never told you?" asked Mr. Ichijouji. "No, Seto has always kept to himself," answered Mokuba. "I guess we should start at the beginning then," sighed Mrs. Ichijouji. "Our families lived on the same street, so it was only natural that our two sons would play with each other." "But Seto and Sam really hit it off. They were always together. They were really close," continued Mr. Ichijouji. "They seemed to have their own little world. Both of them really liked computers and they often talked about designing their own system. They were both really smart, geniuses I'd say. They also were really interested in fantasy, monster specifically. They talked for hours about how cool it would be to go to a world where monsters were real. I guess it doesn't surprise me a bit that Seto found a way to combine the two and make a multi-million dollar company off of them." "But what happened?" asked Davis. They were all enraptured by the story. "I guess the bombshell came about nine years ago," said Mr. Ichijouji. "The day Sam died...... They were both nine at the time..... so young. Do you remember, Mokuba?" "I was only three then, I don't remember much," he answered. "But that was the year my parents died." "Died in a car accident....." sighed Mrs. Ichijouji. "How did you know?" asked Mokuba. "Because that was how Sam died..... I guess we'd better continue the story, but we aren't quite sure what happened. Sam was heading down the street to meet Seto, like any normal day. We didn't think nothing of it." "I guess Ken was feeling left out, he wanted to be a part of his big brother's life," remembered Mrs. Ichijouji. "Seto was waiting outside at the end of the street, we know that much. Sam was running to meet him. He didn't see the car coming.... They were traveling to fast. But for some reason the car slid out of control. It careened up onto the sidewalk..... right where Sam was walking," said Mr. Ichijouji. His voice had gone beyond emotion and was simply stating facts. "Everyone involved was killed instantly. Seto and Ken just stood on the sidewalk, on opposite ends of the street, shocked." "Oh my gosh....." muttered Kari. That was the only noise heard. "I wish I knew. I'm sorry Seto," sobbed Mokuba. "I don't think he knows...." muttered Mrs. Ichijouji to her husband. He nodded. "What doesn't Mokuba know?" asked Davis. "I guess your brother never told you..... It's a hard thing to tell," said Mr. Ichijouji. "What?" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Your parents were the ones driving the car." "What?" "Yeah, they were returning from work that day when they lost control of the car......" said Mrs. Ichijouji. "And no one survived....." muttered Yolie. "That had to be awful to watch." "Your brother lost his best friend and his parents all in one day? I can't imagine," said TK. "We heard that you were both sent to an orphanage," said Mrs. Ichijouji. "Yeah, but as soon as Seto was old enough he got Kaiba Corp. off of the ground and adopted me. He was always there for me. I never knew....." said Mokuba. "No wonder he never wants to trust anyone," said Kari. "What do you mean?" asked Davis. "After losing so many people so close to you.... He must be afraid he'll get hurt again. He doesn't want to lose anyone he's close to. That is probably why he is so protective if you, Mokuba," she answered. "But that doesn't help us find them," said TK. There was a knock at the door. Yolie answered it and Cody burst in. "It is about time you've arrive," commented Davis. "Bad news!" he exclaimed. "I don't think we can take much more bad news," said Mrs. Ichijouji. "Can I borrow your computer? I need to pull something up," he asked. "Sure," said Mr. Ichijouji. "Now what?" asked Yolie. "I was with Izzy, working on upgrading our computers. We lost track of time. But we did find this," said Cody. He sat down in the computer chair, popped in a disk, and opened it. He pulled up the grid of the digital world. "What did you find?" asked Kari as she leaned closer. "This is the digital world normally," he said. He clicked a button. "This is the digital world now." A large dark circle, almost like a void, had appeared in the center of the digital world. Despite the fact the map was a graph, it was easy to tell the circle was growing. "What is that?" asked Davis. "Something is wrong with the digital world," he said. "I don't know what, but it can't be good."  
  
AN/ Ken's parents call Seto Kaiba Seto because they are used to seeing him as a little kid. Everyone else, save Mokuba, calls him by his last name because it is a sign of respect (which he demands a lot of) and a sign of a not casual relationship. This is common in Japan, where these animes originated from.  
  
AN2/ The digimon aren't talking because they are in stuffed animal mode. Sure the Ichijoujis know about the digimon, but they handle things better when the digimon aren't so visible.  
  
AN3/ And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


	7. From Worse to Awful

The group had raced to the nearest digi-port and now were staring at the digital world in disbelief. The sky was dark, nearly black. It tossed and turned like a storm was brewing, but the wind was strangely still. It looked nothing like it did when they visited a few days ago.  
  
"What happened here?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"I don't know," stammered Kari. "This has never happened before."  
  
"I guess we'd better look around," suggested Davis.  
  
"Good thinking," agreed Veemon, who was trying not to look afraid.  
  
"This is like that horror movie we watched last night," said Kuribomon.  
  
"You aren't helping," said Hawkmon with a shudder.  
  
"Come on!" said Armadillomon as they started to fall behind.  
  
"Coming!" they called and the group pulled closer together.  
  
They walked in silence, the ominous feeling they all felt was growing.  
  
"I wish Ken was here," muttered Wormmon.  
  
"So do I," agreed Yolei.  
  
"Oh, my gosh!" exclaimed TK, who was ahead of them. He had stopped short, and was starring open-mouthed at something.  
  
"What is....?" started Patamon, but when he saw for himself, he was frozen, too.  
  
"It can't be!" Cody gasped.  
  
There, in front of them, set on a hill, was a control spire.  
  
"We destroyed them all!" protested Davis.  
  
"Then how did it get here?" asked Gatomon.  
  
"I don't like this...." moaned Hawkmon.  
  
"Maybe it's an illusion...." suggested Yolei. But even she sounded doubtful.  
  
"CCRREEEEAAAA!" a loud cry from above them sounded over a crack of thunder. A serpentine digimon circled in the sky.  
  
"It's coming this way!" exclaimed Davis.  
  
It circled lower than hovered in front of them.  
  
"An Airdramon?" asked Patamon as he got a better look at it.  
  
"Someone's riding it!" exclaimed Kari.  
  
"It can't be!" gasped TK.  
  
"You fools! Care to try to defy me again?" cackled a very familiar voice.  
  
"No! Ken!" cried Yolei, literally. Tears were streaming down her face.  
  
"That's the Digimon Emperor to you!" he snapped, cracking his whip.  
  
"No, Ken!" cried Wormmon. "You promised you wouldn't! You promised."  
  
"I have no time to waste on a worm like you!" spat the Digimon Emperor.  
  
"I missed something, didn't I," said Mokuba, who was slowly backing up.  
  
"That can't be Ken," said Kuribomon, who was also backing up.  
  
"What do you think about my remodeling of the digital world?" asked the Digimon Emperor. He waved a hand over the darkness.  
  
"Ken, what's gotten into you?" asked Davis.  
  
"Yeah! Knock it off!" agreed Veemon.  
  
"You digi-brats don't like it?" cackled the Digimon Emperor. "I figured you wouldn't. But you'll have to get used to it." He leered down at them, savoring their panic and confusion. "Because, soon I will open the portal to the Dark Ocean. Darkness will flood the digital world, and there is nothing you can do about it!"  
  
"Do you really think we are going to let you succeed?" asked TK.  
  
"You have no choice," he smiled.  
  
"Enough talk!" yelled Davis. "Come down and face us yourself."  
  
"Not this time," said the Digimon Emperor. "I have other things to attend to. But you'll have your wish soon enough."  
  
"Ken! Please, stop!" begged Yolei and Wormmon.  
  
"Grrrrr...." growled Davis and TK, clearly mad.  
  
"Stop!" exclaimed Kari. "You can't hurt him! You'll hurt Ken!"  
  
"Then what are we going to do?" asked Veemon.  
  
"If you are so eager for battle, the least I can do is grant your wish," the Digimon Emperor said. He snapped his fingers. At once the ground began to shake beneath them.  
  
The digi-destined and their digimon screamed as they were all thrown off of their feet (save those who were flying). A large hill rose out of the ground. Above them the Digimon Emperor was laughing insanely. The hill shook the dirt off, revealing itself as the digimon Deltamon. Its three heads instantly focused on the digi-destined.  
  
"This isn't good," moaned Armadillomon.  
  
"Have fun," cooed the Digimon Emperor as he flew off. "I have final preparations to make."  
  
"Ken! Stop!" yelled Yolei, but he was gone.  
  
"No sweat," said Davis. "There's only one of them. We can take it."  
  
As if responding to him, the ground began to shake again. The digi- destined were thrown off their feet again, after just brushing the dirt off. Three more hills formed, completely surrounding them. As soon as the dust cleared, the other three Deltamon were revealed. The group hunched into a circle, all facing the hungry looking digimon.  
  
"You and your big mouth," snapped Mokuba to Davis.  
  
"There's only four of them," said Davis, trying to brush it off.  
  
"That's twelve heads!" exclaimed Gatomon.  
  
"The only way out of this is fighting," said TK.  
  
"Right!" agreed Patamon.  
  
"Let's go!" said Hawkmon.  
  
"Patamon digivolved to......."  
  
"Gatomon digivolved to......"  
  
"Kuribomon digivolved to......"  
  
The digimon glowed for a moment, then collapsed.  
  
"Why can't I digivolve?" asked Kuribomon.  
  
"The control spire stops digimon from digivolving!" Kari hastily explained.  
  
"Then we'll have to do this the old fashioned way," said Armadillomon.  
  
"Veemon armor digivolved to...... Flamedramon!"  
  
"Hawkmon armor digivolved to...... Halsemon!"  
  
"Armadillomon armor digivolved to........ Digmon!"  
  
"How could they do that?" asked Kuribomon.  
  
"We'll explain later," said Cody.  
  
"Let's get 'em!" yelled Flamedramon as the group sprung into action. "Fire Rocket!" His attack nailed a head that was coming at him right under the neck.  
  
"Rock Cracking!" added Digmon, trying to uproot a Deltamon.  
  
"My turn!" said Halsemon. "Tempest Wing!" The nearest Deltamon braced itself against the wind.  
  
"Your turn, Patamon," said TK.  
  
"Go, Gatomon!" encouraged Kari.  
  
"Patamon armor digivolved to...... Pegasusmon!"  
  
"Gatomon armor digivolved to...... Nefertimon!"  
  
"Star Shower!"  
  
"Rosetta Stone!"  
  
The two attacks seemed to unbalance a Deltamon.  
  
"Did it work?" asked Pegasusmon.  
  
"Look out!" warned TK.  
  
One of the heads snapped forward, attempting to eat him. Pegasusmon leapt higher into the air, its teeth brushing against his wing.  
  
"That was close," he commented.  
  
"We have to be careful," said Nefertimon.  
  
"Let's double-team one," suggested Flamedramon to Digmon.  
  
"Right behind you!" agreed Digimon. The charged forward.  
  
"Flame Fist!"  
  
"Gold Rush!"  
  
The Deltamon turned its attention away from Halsemon and all three head shot forward to attack them.  
  
"Serpent Bite!"  
  
Digmon and Flamedramon had to break off their attack to avoid being eaten.  
  
"That's not fair!" protested Digmon. "It triple-teamed us."  
  
"AAHHHH!" screamed Kari as a Deltamon snatched her in its mouth. She was dangling off of the ground by her shirt.  
  
"Kari!"  
  
"Sticky Net!" attacked Wormmon, temporarily blinding it.  
  
"Exploding Hairball!" added Kuribomon, causing Deltamon to drop Kari.  
  
"Thanks," said Kari as she hurried out of the way.  
  
"I just wish I could do more," sighed Wormmon, looking in the direction Ken flew off.  
  
"There's too many of them!" cried Yolei.  
  
"There's only four of them!" protested Davis.  
  
"But we can't get close to them!" Flamedramon pointed out.  
  
That was definitely true. Any time the digimon got close enough to launch a powerful attack, one of the heads would counter.  
  
"There has to be something we can do!" insisted TK.  
  
"We need to DNA digivolve," said Cody.  
  
"We can't with that control spire," growled Davis.  
  
"Queen Paw!" attacked Nefertimon, which knocked Halsemon out of its mouth.  
  
"Thanks!" said Halsemon before she attacked. "Red Tail!"  
  
"Serpent Bite!" came the response from all the Deltamon. A dozen heads shot forward, making it very difficult for the armor digimon even to dodge.  
  
"Come on, Nefertimon!" said Pegasusmon. The circled in the skies together.  
  
"Golden Noose!" they cried and began to tie up a Deltamon.  
  
"EEARRGHHHH!" it yelled as it pulled free. Pegasusmon was sent spiraling into the dirt. Nefertimon righted herself, but just barely.  
  
"We have to get out of here!" cried Kari.  
  
"How?" asked Mokuba.  
  
The Deltamon went strangely still. They brought their heads together and eyed the people that were trapped between them.  
  
"This can't be good...." moaned Cody.  
  
"Triple Forces!" a four Deltamon attacked at the same time. Their three heads pulled together into a deadly beam. Coming form one Deltamon this was devastating enough, without being stuck between four.  
  
The entire field was a blur of light. People and digimon screamed, before they all collapsed. When the debris cleared everyone was moaning on the ground. Most of the digimon were on a lower level than a few moments ago. Flamedramon was DemiVeemon, Halsemon was Poromon, Digmon was Upamon, Pegasusmon was Tokomon, Wormmon was Minomon, only Kuribomon and Nefertimon had been able to hold their forms. The Deltamon moved in to finish them off.  
  
"Enough!" yelled Nefertimon as she landed in front of the injured group.  
  
"You can't...." moaned Kari.  
  
"Watch...." said Nefertimon. She began to glow brightly. Very soon she was too bright to look at. "Heaven's Wings!" She screamed. Soon the entire circle was covered in light.  
  
The group slowly looked up, after the tension of not being eaten was too much. Then they all gasped in surprise.  
  
"Where are we?" asked Yolei.  
  
"I teleported you here," answered Salamon.  
  
"I can't believe it...." moaned Wormmon.  
  
"Now what are we going to do?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"We have to head back to the real world to recover," sighed TK.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
They had just exited the digi-port when Mokuba's cell phone started ringing.  
  
"Now what?" groaned Davis.  
  
"I want to sleep," moaned DemiVeemon.  
  
"Quiet!" hushed Mokuba. "Hi..... Yu-Gi!? What is it?"  
  
"The short boy from before?" asked TK.  
  
"Quiet," whispered Tokomon. "I want to hear this."  
  
"I....I guess..... We'll be right over," said Mokuba. "Bye."  
  
"What was that about?" asked Yolei.  
  
"Do they know anything about brother?" asked Kuribomon.  
  
"He didn't exactly say," stammered Mokuba. "But he wants me to meet him at his grandpa's card shop, now."  
  
"What about us?" asked Upamon.  
  
"He actually seemed happy when I said you were here," answered Mokuba. "Your supposed to come, too."  
  
"Do they have food?" asked Poromon.  
  
"Come on," said Kari as she gestured to the door.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
They reached the Turtle Game Shop and were quickly ushered inside by Solomon Motou. In a back room of the store all of Yu-Gi's friends had gathered; Joe, Tristan, and Téa. But with them was a distraught black- haired lady that none of the digi-destined had seen before. The digimon were whispered to 'behave' and 'act like a toy.'  
  
"We came," said Mokuba. "What's going on?"  
  
They all exchanged nervous glances before Téa finally answered.  
  
"Um.... I think Ishizu can explain the best," she stammered.  
  
"Oh, this is Ishizu Ishtar," said Yu-Gi, figuring introductions were best. Ishizu gave a half wave, looking at each digi-destined with her dark, deep eyes. Her golden necklace sparkled.  
  
"Hi," said Kari. "I'm Kari Kamiya."  
  
"Name's TK."  
  
"Yolei."  
  
"I'm Davis."  
  
"My name's Cody."  
  
"We've met before," said Mokuba. "What is going on."  
  
"Bad things..... very bad things," muttered Ishizu looking down and shaking her head.  
  
"Tell me about it...." muttered Yolei.  
  
"I may as well start from the beginning," Ishizu sighed. "This morning my brother, Marik, was attacked."  
  
"Oh, my!" gasped Kari.  
  
"What happened?" asked TK.  
  
"A thief broke in and stole his Millennial Rod," explained Ishizu, monotone. She was trying hard to keep her emotions out of this. "My guess is that Marik stumbled across the thief. In retaliation, the thief attacked with the Millennial Rod."  
  
"How?" asked Joe.  
  
"Have you forgotten what that thing can do?" asked Tristan.  
  
"I found him, unconscious," said Ishizu. "He is in the hospital now. He hasn't woken up yet to identify his attacker...."  
  
(AN/ Take that, Marik!)  
  
"What does this have to do with us?" asked Cody.  
  
"Everything," said Ishizu. "Especially you, Mokuba."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes, it has to do with your brother," said Ishizu, her necklace glowing mysteriously.  
  
(AN/ Here is how Battle City ended, for the sake of this fic. Marik got cured and that evil driven out of him. Ishizu and him have been living as a family, but apparently that just changed. Yami gave Ishizu the Millennial Necklace back. Also, if you didn't know, the Millennial Rod can turn into a knife. That is what was used to attack Marik. That's all. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy!( ) 


	8. A New Enemy

"What about Seto?" asked Mokuba, practically jumping to his feet.  
  
"He is in danger," answered Ishizu. Mokuba went wide-eyed.  
  
"Again...." muttered Joe, but he was quiet enough that no one else heard him.  
  
"What happened?!" demanded Mokuba. "Where is he?"  
  
"Do you know anything about Ken?" asked Yolei, interrupting.  
  
"Ken? You mean that boy from before?" asked Téa. "....I am beginning to feel deja vû."  
  
"There is darkness coming, and very soon it will be here," said Ishizu.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?!" demanded Davis.  
  
"An evil that has been put in place long ago has now returned to claim them," answered Ishizu.  
  
"Evil?" asked Joe. "I always knew there was something fishy about Kaiba." Mokuba gave him a death glare.  
  
"Why don't you be quiet?" suggested Tristan. "You aren't helping anyone."  
  
"Ken isn't evil," said Yolei, vehemently.  
  
"I never said he was," said Ishizu. "But evil forces are using him."  
  
"Quit speaking in riddles," said TK. "We have enough to worry about without trying to understand what you are saying."  
  
"What happened to Ken?" asked Cody. "He.....He barely recognized us."  
  
Ishizu took a deep breath. "The future is not always clear." She touched her necklace. "But I will tell what I know...... Evil forces set out to submerge the worlds in darkness. To do so they would need a key. It took time, but they found it. It fermented in darkness, and now they are about to carry out their plans."  
  
"Submerge the world in darkness?" asked Téa, nervously.  
  
"Key?" asked Joe.  
  
"But what about Ken?" asked Yolei.  
  
At the same time Mokuba chimed, "But what about Seto?"  
  
"Who did this?" asked TK.  
  
"Creatures from the dark worlds," answered Ishizu.  
  
"From the dark worlds?" echoed Cody.  
  
"Do you mean like that place we went last time?" asked Joe.  
  
"The Shadow Realm?" asked Yu-Gi, with a hint of fear.  
  
"With Abhorremon?!" gasped Kari. "Could he be one of the creatures from darkness?"  
  
Ishizu started to give another explanation when her necklace flashed unbelievably bright. She screamed, half in shock, half in pain.  
  
"What is going on?!" yelled Davis.  
  
"Ishizu!" yelled Téa.  
  
Another flash of light further lit the room, followed by another scream.  
  
"Yu-Gi!" called Tristan.  
  
"What is happening?" yelled Yolei.  
  
"I don't like this...." whimpered one of the digimon, the fact about 'acting like a toy' temporarily forgotten.  
  
As quick as it came, the light faded. The group rubbed their eyes and looked around.  
  
"What did just happen?" asked Cody.  
  
"Ishizu!" gasped Téa when they saw the Egyptian girl laying on the ground and not moving.  
  
"Yug!" exclaimed Joe, seeing his friend in a similar situation.  
  
"What happened to them?" asked Kari, as they immediately began to check on the injured.  
  
"It has to have something to do with the Millennial Items," said Tristan.  
  
"But what?" asked Téa.  
  
Yu-Gi began to stir. His eyes fluttered a little. Then they snapped open and he sat up.  
  
"There is something different about him," muttered Kari.  
  
"Yu-Gi, are you alright?" asked his friends, instantly.  
  
"Unfortunately, no," he replied. "Yu-Gi is not fine."  
  
"Wait!" exclaimed Joe. "You're the spirit of the puzzle."  
  
"Correct."  
  
"Spirit of the puzzle?" asked Cody. The digi-destined had been watching, blinking.  
  
"Long story......" muttered Tristan.  
  
"What about Yug?" demanded Joe.  
  
"And what happened to Ishizu?" added Yolei, who was checking her pulse.  
  
"That, I cannot answer completely," replied Yami. "There was a sudden surge through the Millennial Items. Yu-Gi took most of it, which is why I am in control now. Ishizu wasn't so fortunate."  
  
"Wait a minute! There's two of you?" asked Davis. "Who would have guess Yu-Gi to be schizophrenic?"  
  
"Be quiet," hushed TK.  
  
"Is Yu-Gi going to be okay?" asked Téa, her voice full of concern.  
  
"Eventually," answered Yami.  
  
"What could have done this?" asked Tristan.  
  
"That, I cannot say," answered Yami. He sat up straighter. "But there is a powerful magic force not far from here. I can sense it. And it is not good."  
  
"Nothing is lately...." muttered TK.  
  
"I think we should go check it out," suggested Kari.  
  
"What?" asked Cody.  
  
"Listen, things keep happening, and we need to figure out why," said Kari. "We need to find answers."  
  
"Well, if it will help us save Ken, I'm coming," said Yolei.  
  
"I'm not letting you go alone!" Davis instantly volunteered.  
  
"We're coming too!" added Joe.  
  
"No," said Yami. "You need to stay here and get Ishizu help. I will guide them."  
  
"Are you sure you're up to it?" asked Tristan. Yami nodded.  
  
"We don't have much time to spare," said Cody. "I think we should leave."  
  
"Then let's go!" exclaimed Davis.  
  
Davis, Yolei, Cody, TK, and Kari along with Yami raced out of the shop, nearly knocking Grandpa Motou over. They raced out side. It seemed strange. It was a beautiful day, but the dire events made it seem like it was covered with clouds. They ran, with Yami leading the way. Eventually they came to a park.  
  
The park was quaint. Several gravel paths wound through scattered trees. Benches and flower beds sporadically dotted the landscape. A small creek with several bridges also ran through it. Into this park the group ran. Once they were inside, they slowed to a walk.  
  
"It is close," said Yami, looking around.  
  
"What, exactly, are we looking for?" asked Davis.  
  
"Do you think we'll find a way to free Ken?" asked Yolei.  
  
"I hope so," muttered Wormmon.  
  
"I just hope it doesn't try to eat us," said Davis. "I've had enough of that for one day."  
  
"You are going to jinx us," said TK.  
  
"What's jinx?" asked Veemon.  
  
Before anyone could answer, an evil laugher rang from somewhere close by. The group began to look frantically around for the source.  
  
"Who's there?" asked Kari. The laughing stopped. It was replaced with silence.  
  
"Show yourself!" demanded Yami.  
  
"Of course, pharaoh," came the reply.  
  
Out stepped a familiar figure from behind a tree in front of them. He wore a long, violet robe that was trimmed in gold in various places. He also wore a large hat of the came color, which hid his brown hair. His blue eyes leered at the group, almost daring them to defy him.  
  
"Seto!" gasped Mokuba. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Quiet, you brat," snapped Kaiba. "This is between me and the pharaoh."  
  
"Why is he dressed like that?" asked Davis. No one answered him.  
  
"So, are you ready to play my little game?" asked Seto. "I see you have already won the first round. But the first round was just a warm up."  
  
"First round?" asked Kari. Everyone started to look very nervous.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" asked Yami.  
  
"Power," answered Kaiba. "And soon, it will be mine."  
  
"No more riddles!" yelled Davis.  
  
"Fine," Kaiba practically spat. "I will open up the gate to the Shadow Realm. The earth will be swarmed with darkness. It will become mine."  
  
"Seto! Stop it!" yelled Mokuba. "It's me, your little brother! Don't you remember?" he walked closer.  
  
"Silence, brat!" spat Kaiba. "You are of no importance."  
  
"What do you want with me?" asked Yami.  
  
"I want to see if the pharaoh is capable of stopping me," said Seto. "You sealed the Shadow Games away before, but times have changed. None the less, you may be a worth advisory, having lasted against my first assault when every single other bearer of a Millennial Item could not."  
  
"What assault?" asked TK.  
  
Kaiba smiled and held up an item that he had hidden behind his back. It was a small staff, of sorts, but there was a large sphere with wings on the end.  
  
"You're the one who stole the Millennial Rod!" gasped Yami.  
  
"Your power of reasoning astounds me," replied Kaiba. "But enough talk. Let the games begin!"  
  
With a wave of the rod a black vortex appeared behind him. He stepped into and disappeared. The hole closed after he had vanished.  
  
"What is going on?!" demanded Davis. "I am so sick of these riddles!"  
  
"Seto....." muttered Mokuba, a tear slipping out of his eye. Kuribomon cuddled up closer to him for comfort.  
  
"What are we going to do?" asked Kari.  
  
"We have to save them!" said Yolei.  
  
"But how?" asked TK. "We don't even know what we are up against."  
  
"I think we might be able to figure that out," said Cody. "But we need to get to a computer, and then have a long discussion about it."  
  
"We don't have time!" protested Davis.  
  
"We won't be able to help them if we go blindly into this," said Kari.  
  
"Kari does have a point," sighed Yolei.  
  
"Then let's be quick about it," agreed Davis, resentfully.  
  
"Let's go to my house," volunteered Kari.  
  
"Yeah, let's go," said TK. They began to walk out of the park.  
  
Yami looked back and muttered to himself, "There are powerful forces at work here. This is not going to be easy....."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"We did it!"  
  
"We are not done yet. Do not get cocky. A moment of pride can cost us everything we've gained."  
  
"The darkness is growing. Soon entire worlds will be our source of darkness."  
  
"Those kids are trying to interfere. Remember, they did bring Abhorremon to his doom."  
  
"Abhorremon was a fool."  
  
"We can't underestimate them."  
  
"Are you afraid of a bunch of mere children?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. We will continue our plan. They will not beat us. By the time they fully understand it will be too late for all the worlds."  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	9. But what does it all mean?

AN/ I am soooo sorry for the long delay. It has been one thing after another here.computer problems, finals, the flu. Again I apologize, but college has seriously cut my updating time. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (  
  
"Hi mom! I've brought some friends over!" called Kari as the group entered the Kamiya residence.  
  
"Okay, be sure they take their shoes off," he mom called back. "Do you want me to bake something? I have some nutmeg that is close to expiring."  
  
"No thanks," Kari said, sweat-dropping.  
  
"Okay, now what?" asked Davis as he flopped down on the couch. "We have two people who disappear for a day, then completely flip. What the heck is going on? How is this possible?"  
  
"Slow down, we'll figure it out," said Cody.  
  
"We need to do something!" exclaimed Davis.  
  
"We need a plan," responded TK.  
  
"We need to know what's going on," said Kari.  
  
"We need to help Ken!" sobbed Yolei.  
  
"What we need is for everyone to calm down," said Yami in a tone the caused everyone to quiet down. "First things first. Let's just go through this step by step and maybe we'll find something we missed."  
  
"I-I guess it started when Seto disappeared," sigh Mokuba. Kuribomon cuddled closer to him for comfort.  
  
"No, I think it started before that," stated TK.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Well, I don't know about your brother, but Ken was acting really weird before he disappeared," said Ken.  
  
"That's right," said Yolei. "He fainted once and started laughing..it was scary."  
  
"And he was acting really spooked at home," chimed Minomon.  
  
"Yeah, Seto was acting weird too. I thought he was just stressed," said Mokuba, thoughtfully.  
  
"He was being mean!" chimed Kuribomon, indignantly. "And he had something weird on his neck and arms."  
  
"What did you say?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"I saw it when he was working," said Kuribomon. "But I don't know what it was."  
  
"Didn't you say you saw something on Ken's neck too, Yolei?" asked Poromon.  
  
"I..Yes! I did!" exclaimed Yolei. "But he said it was mud or something..he didn't seem concerned.."  
  
"Okay, that's good," said Davis. "But what does it mean?" Silence was the answer he got.  
  
"Then they disappeared?" asked Yami, as if to reaffirm the timeline.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," said TK.  
  
"We don't even know how they disappeared," said Mokuba. "They vanished out of closed rooms."  
  
"They must be magicians!" chimed DemiVeemon.  
  
"DemiVeemon!" scolded Davis.  
  
"Moving on," sighed Cody.  
  
"Well, after that we searched all over for them," said Kari.  
  
"And we found this list my brother made," said Mokuba as he pulled it out of his pocket.  
  
"May I see that?" asked Yami.  
  
"Sure," agreed Mokuba as he handed it to him. Yami read it and his eyebrows arched with worry.  
  
"This cannot be good," he muttered.  
  
"Let's not forget the crisis in the Digital World when we found Ken again," added TK.  
  
"You found him?!" gasped Yami.  
  
"He had turned back into the Digimon Emperor," sighed Tokomon.  
  
"Digimon Emperor?" asked Yami. The group quickly filled him in about the Digimon Emperor.  
  
"He promised he'd never do anything like that again," sobbed Minomon.  
  
"And now he's harming the entire Digital World," added Cody, who was monitoring the Digital World on the Kamiya computer. "The darkness keeps spreading."  
  
"But he said he wanted to do something with the Dark Ocean," chimed Upamon.  
  
"Yeah," remembered Kari with a shudder.  
  
RING! A phone rang.  
  
"A call?" asked Salamon.  
  
"It's my cell phone. One moment," said Kari as she answered it. "Hi.. Oh! Hello, Tristan!" Davis snapped his head around and was glaring at the cell phone. "Yeah, we're all at my place.... No, no one's hurt, but we are worried about Ken and Kaiba. .... We found them, well, sort of... Yeah, things don't look too good, we have no idea what to do... Sure! We'd love your help! ..Okay, see you soon! ..Bye."  
  
"What did Tristan have to say?" asked Yami.  
  
"Well, they managed to take Ishizu to the hospital, and since they don't need him there any more, he's coming over here to help," answered Kari.  
  
"He's coming here?" asked Davis, dryly.  
  
"That's what she said," answered DemiVeemon. Davis's eye twitched.  
  
"That is strange, how she just collapsed like that," said TK, thoughtfully.  
  
"It was no accident," said Yami.  
  
"What do you mean?" Tokomon.  
  
"Someone disturbed the flow of magic around the Millennial Items and used that to take out their bearers," answered Yami.  
  
"Can you run that by me again?" asked Davis, who was looking confused.  
  
"And, what, exactly, are these Millennial Items?" asked Kari. "I know they are magic, but..."  
  
"The Millennial Items remain a mystery," answered Yami. "The ones who could answer that question best are Ishizu and Marik, and they are both in the hospital now. All I know is they are linked to the Shadow Games and have their origin in Egypt."  
  
"Wait.." said Cody, thinking out-loud. "If you said that they were trying to take out the Millennial Item's bearers....How come you are still standing, and what happened to the rest?"  
  
"I do not know the answer to the last question," said Yami. "Ishizu has collapsed and there is a good chance Bakura did the same. With Shadi it is impossible to tell, and the Millennial Eye is still missing. The only one who seemed to avoid it all together was Kaiba with the stolen Millennial Rod..."  
  
"There is something fishy about that," said Poromon.  
  
"Fish sound good right now!" chimed Kuribomon.  
  
"I bet that whole surge had something to do with Kaiba," stated TK.  
  
"But nothing happened to you, either, Yu-Gi," Kari pointed-out.  
  
"I'm not Yu-Gi," said Yami.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Davis.  
  
"My name is Yami," answered Yami. "I am the spirit of the Millennial Puzzle."  
  
"I remember Téa jabbering something about that..." muttered Cody.  
  
"You lost me," said Davis.  
  
"Yeah, me too," agreed DemiVeemon. "Um..where were we going?"  
  
"5000 years ago I was the pharaoh of Egypt," answered Yami. "My spirit had slept inside the Millennial Puzzle since then until Yu-Gi put it back together. Now the same Shadow Games which once threatened my kingdom are now threatening the world."  
  
"Pharaoh?!" gasped TK.  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Davis.  
  
"What's a fur-row?" asked Salamon.  
  
"So that is what Kaiba was talking about when he greeted you in the park?" asked Kari.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And what was with the way he was dressing?" asked Cody.  
  
"Yeah, robes went out of style a thousand...a thousand years ago," stammered Davis with widening eyes.  
  
"In the past Seto Kaiba was one of the high priest who guarded the Millennial Items, specifically the Millennial Rod," answered Yami.  
  
"Really?" asked Mokuba with wide eyes. "I know Seto always said that was a bunch of non-sense."  
  
"It is true," answered Yami.  
  
"And the reason you are still standing when the rest of the bearers went down is that..Yu-Gi got knocked out, but you are in control now?" asked TK, incredulously.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This is way too bizarre," commented Davis.  
  
"And we are still no closer to saving Ken!" exclaimed Yolei.  
  
"Kaiba said that he wanted to open a gate to the Shadow Realm," said TK. "And Ken said he was going to open a portal to the Dark Ocean. .... So...."  
  
"What's the Dark Ocean?" asked Mokuba. Kari shuddered.  
  
"It's awful," said Salamon.  
  
"It's a place where there is nothing but darkness and pain," added Upamon.  
  
"And your nightmares can come true there!" exclaimed DemiVeemon.  
  
"Much like the Shadow Realm.." said Yami, very thoughtfully.  
  
"They want to cover the worlds in darkness," said Cody, pointing to the computer screen. "And Ken is doing a pretty good job in the Digital World."  
  
"So, the Shadow Realm is to the real world what the Dark Ocean is to the Digital World?" asked Kari.  
  
"There are a lot of similarities here," stated Yolei.  
  
"There is more going on here then we know about," agreed TK.  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"That must be Tristan!" exclaimed Kari. She jumped up and answered it, wearing a big smile.  
  
"Hi, Kari," said Tristan.  
  
"I'm glad you made it. Come in," said Kari as she ushered him in. Tristan nodded and put his arm around her. This earned him a direct glare from Davis, a sideways glare form TK, and a jealous heart-broken look from Yolei.  
  
"So, how's everything going?" asked Tristan.  
  
"Not good," sighed Mokuba. "We still aren't any closer to finding my brother."  
  
"I think we just need to track him down and confront him!" exclaimed Davis.  
  
"Remember what happened last time we charged in?" asked TK. "A fight against four Deltamon."  
  
"That was so unfair!" pouted DemiVeemon.  
  
Tristan sort of leapt when the digimon started talking. He wasn't as used to them as the rest of the group was. But he was determined to keep his cool and remain calm. After all, Kari was there.  
  
"We can't just let them continue unchecked, though," said Cody.  
  
"Yeah, we need to stop them!" agreed Tokomon.  
  
"I can't believe that Ken would go out and do something like this!" cried Yolei, pounding her fist on the end table.  
  
"This isn't something Seto would do, either," agreed Mokuba. "He barely believes in digimon, and Kuribomon has been living with us for months!"  
  
"You may have hit a very important point," said Yami.  
  
"What's that?" asked Tristan, who was already completely lost.  
  
"This is not the kind of thing that they would do," said Yami. "That means there must be an outside force behind this. The group gasped.  
  
"Yeah, but what?" asked TK, at length.  
  
"Well, we're not going to find out by waiting around here," said Davis. "So let's go!"  
  
"Go where?" asked Yolei.  
  
"Um..back to the Digital World?" stammered Davis. Everyone gave him a questionable look.  
  
"Guys, he may have a point," said Cody, who had started frantically typing. A dark spot had appeared in the black section of the Digital World grid.  
  
"What is it?" asked Upamon.  
  
"I think Ken is trying to open that portal..." said Cody.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" gasped Yolei.  
  
"We have to hurry!" exclaimed Davis as the group leapt to their feet.  
  
"Um..what portal?" asked Tristan.  
  
"We'll tell you on the way," said Kari.  
  
The group raced outside only to find a more disturbing sight. The clouds were turning over themselves like some black stew. Everything had gone way too dark for being the middle of the afternoon. There was something evil in the atmosphere, something dangerous.  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Yami.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"At last! The time has come!"  
  
"The darkness is ours. It is almost ripe for us to claim."  
  
"And then, the worlds will fall to darkness. They will be ours forever!"  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** 


End file.
